How To Prepare Your Garden for Autumn: Plants & Décor Ideas

Give your garden an autumn refresh

As the seasons change and temperatures begin to drop, our gardens need a little extra care to prepare for the cooler months ahead. Autumn is the perfect time to give your garden a refresh, whether that means introducing seasonal plants, adding autumn garden décor or simply giving everything a good tidy.

Before getting started with your autumn garden refresh, start by clearing fallen leaves and branches from your lawn, patio space and garden pathways. Remove dead flower heads and any fading summer plants to keep your borders looking neat and take the opportunity to clear any weeds that have appeared since your last garden tidy-up.

If your garden borders are looking slightly overgrown, take this opportunity to trim them back and tidy the edges. It’s also worth preparing your garden furniture for the wetter weather. Make sure its cleaned before covering or putting away for the winter. It might also be worth checking any garden structures such as pots, planters and fencing before the wintery weather arrives too.

Choose plants that thrive in Autumn

Now that your garden is tidy, you’re ready to get started with your autumn garden planting. It’s important to do your research and choose plants that’ll thrive during colder temperatures.

For borders and containers, winter heather is a great choice. Once planted, it needs very little attention and acts as natural weed-supressing ground cover. Cyclamen provides delicate seasonal colour in pots and sheltered areas, with its fragrant blooms lasting until the first frost. If you’re after a classic autumn showstopper, go for Chrysanthemums. These stunning flowers allow you to add warm autumn shades such as orange, red and yellow to your garden.

If you’re looking to add even more colour, asters are a fantastic choice, producing vibrant, daisy-like flowers in shades of purple and blue, often with yellow centres, from September through to November. Then mix it up with some texture and movement from ornamental grasses, perfect for those breezy autumn days. Finally, don’t forget to incorporate evergreens. These provide structure and greenery throughout autumn and winter, helping your garden feel full and inviting even when other plants have faded.

Beautiful blooming purple-pink bell Heather Erica cinerea decorative flowers in flower pot under winter snow in balcony ga...

Add autumn colour with pots and planters

Now your Autumn garden plants are in place, it's time to another layer of seasonal charm with pots and planters. Terracotta pots are perfect for creating a warm, rustic feel, while planters in burnt orange, burgundy, mustard and deep green can complement your autumn blooms. Try grouping pots of different sizes together to create depth or use them to brighten up patios, doorways, balconies and smaller garden spaces. It’s a simple way to bring more colour and personality to your garden throughout the autumn season

Create a cosy autumn outdoor retreat

Even though the temperature might have dropped slightly, there are still plenty of opportunities to enjoy your outdoor space. If you have a seating area, why not turn your summer suntrap into a cosy autumn outdoor retreat? Consider creating a sheltered corner where you can enjoy a morning coffee or an early evening outdoors. To make the area feel cosy introduce lanterns, solar lights and warm-toned outdoor lighting. You might even want to invest in a fire pit or outdoor flame heater to keep family and friends warm and comfortable as the evenings get cooler.

Summer evening on the terrace of beautiful suburban house with patio with wicker furniture and lights

Get ahead and plant now for a colourful spring garden

Although your garden is now autumn-ready, it’s never too early to start planning for the seasons ahead. If you have time, why not get ahead and plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, crocuses and tulips, ready to bring colour back to your garden when the warmer weather returns. You can also add compost to borders to improve soil quality and plant trees, shrubs and hardy perennials while conditions are still favourable. As temperatures continue to drop, remember to protect vulnerable pots and plants from frost to help them thrive through winter and bloom beautifully come spring.

We hope this has given you plenty of inspiration for how to prepare your garden for autumn. We’d love to see how you’re transforming your new build garden for the season! Share your photos with us on Instagram and tag us @avant_homes.